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Character Assessment 4: Fallen Earth

¡Cuidado!

Fallen Earth was first released in 2009. Originally a subscription-based game from Reloaded Productions, but is now managed as free-to-play by GamerFirst. It is a first- or third-person MMORPG in which a variety of firearms are you primary weapons. It brings to mind Borderlands and Fallout, but as one might expect from an MMO, not as visually-appealing as either. I tried this game out because I like shooting people. I thought I would also like shooting them while leveling up a character. Instead, I have been playing a lot more Blacklight: Retribution because that game is fast, furious, and fun. Nevertheless and as usual, I am not going to review Fallen Earth gameplay, only the game’s character creation tools.

Here we have another game where the developers either lack the resources or the desire to allow the player control over how their character’s bodies look. Granted, this game gives the player more options concerning faces than Star War: The Old Republic, a triple-A pay-to-play game, but that is not saying much. It would be one thing if the bodies in the game were reasonably interesting to look at as they are in SW:TOR, but they are not. The initial clothing lineup, as should be expected, is a choice between short, long, and no-sleeve nondescript tops of three colors, straight-leg blue jeans, and a selection of low-profile sneakers.

Where He’s Going, Only The Faces Need to Be Camoflagued

Configuring a face involves picking one out of a line-up. That is not awesome. Playing with presets is about as fun as drawing over comic books with a set of color pencils. Below is a rundown of the options.

25 faces

3 complexions

15 skin tones

4 ages

12 eye colors

26 hair styles

34 piercings

5 facial hair (male)

5 lip sticks (female)

5 eye shadows (female)

8 sneakers

4 leg tatoos

8 arm tatoos

4 body piercings

16 shirts

45 face tatoos

25 face paints

Objectively (and sarcastically) I could says that there are so many combinations, the choices stagger the imagination. Practically, there is probably enough variety in the preset faces to have at least one to suit every player. Thus, it is incredibly fortunate that players only get one character slot for free. It all works out.

Score One Point For Including An “Urban” Hairstyle That is Neither Dreadlock Nor Afro

Once a player picks a preset face, skin tone, and complexion, all the rest of character creation is accessorizing. Piercings, tattoos, and crazy hair do little to interest me in real life and they do so little to differentiate player characters in MMOs that having the options bore me. Devs, until there is impact on the player character’s silhouette in your character creator, please do not bother me with nose studs. I will probably have a mask, helmet, or some other gear on when I run into other players and I will only see my character from behind most of the time I play.

I included the above video just to point out that here is a group of guys having a good time, but one cannot be told from the other except their dance moves. That wouldn’t be okay even if Fallen Earth were a single-player RPG, like Elder’s Scrolls. In an Elder’s Scrolls game, the player is developing a character of distinction and renown. Those games all begin with the player defining who their character is in terms of stats and appearance. The emphasis in Fallen Earth seems to be to get the players into the game quickly without giving a second thought about who each character will be among the thousands the producers hope log on. There are no classes in Fallen Earth. There are no combat roles, but there is an AP point distribution system where the player can put together their build which affected how well they can do what they do. But I don’t really want to do anything because I haven’t created a character that I really want to play.

Character Assessment Grade: D

Ain’t No Dang Crows Gonna Get At This Corn. Not On My Watch.

In CA#3, I gave Global Agenda a B. These two games have a some elements in common being MMORPG shooters. I wonder how much playing the game affected my view of the character creator. Firstly, Global Agenda has a far superior character creator where the preset faces serve as a launchpad into a deeper system. If I had time to play it, I would find that I like gameplay in Fallen Earth more because of the optional FPS-style interface and effects (there are bullets, not lasers, and recoil). Instead, the lazily implemented character creator and barely interesting tutorial turned me off from the get-go. Global Agenda gives a much better first impression while Fallen Earth was apparently snacking on cloves of garlic before our date.